CHERAW - FirstHealth Emergency Medical Services (EMS) of Chesterfield hosted the second annual “Paramedic Savers” Basic and Intermediate Challenge on May 22 at Cheraw State Park.

The “Paramedic Savers” Basic and Intermediate Challenge was designed to allow basic and intermediate Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTS) the opportunity to compete in a challenging and realistic mock scenario-based competition.

According to Paramedic Savers’ Founder, Kent Hall, many of the competitions are designed for paramedic’s.

“I feel this would be a great opportunity to get our EMTS exposed to competition, by designing a challenging outdoor scenario to test their skills and knowledge. The competition is held during National EMS Week. This event has drawn much support from the community,” said Hall.

A total of nine teams from various parts of South Carolina and North Carolina competed in this year’s event. Teams arrived on Saturday morning and were sequestered at Free Worship on Hwy. 9 in Cheraw. Each team was provided dispatch information and responded to the mock scenario site. Once on site, a Chesterfield County Sheriffs Department Special Response Team (SRT) member requested the teams to grab all of their equipment and ride to the site on an ATV because an officer was shot and needed help. Upon arriving at the site, teams were encountered by gunshots from CCSD SRT members. The scenario site for the competition was a teenage camping site at the State Park swimming area, which included consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs. One of the teenagers fired shots into the air while intoxicated and S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) officers patrolling the lake called in CCSD SRT to secure the scene. The CCSD SRT team was met with a confrontation and shots were exchanged. An officer sustained a gunshot wound to the thigh and the teenager received fatal chest gunshot wounds. Another teen at the site became irate and was tased with a taser gun by the CCSD Special Response Team. One teenager with a medical history of diabetes passed out in a tent from low blood sugar and excessive alcohol consumption. When the teams arrived, they had to quickly triage the injured and begin emergency treatment on three critical patients.

CCSD SRT members interacted with the responding teams and secured the site. SCDNR officers also patrolled the water during the scenario. At the seven-minute mark, an explosion occurred in the woods beside the site and a teenager ran out with facial and airway burns due to a methamphetamine lab explosion. According to Kent, the above scene concluded the mock scenario competition and the judging for the winners was in progress.

“All of the teams were judged on their ability to assess the scene and manage critical injuries while utilizing the resources on the scene. Following the competition, the teams enjoyed a BBQ dinner, prepared by Bill’s BBQ of Cheraw. Teams received gifts from our sponsors and plaques were given to the top three placing teams,” Kent added.

The three winning teams who came out on top are: First Place-FirstHealth EMS (Chesterfield), Second Place-FirstHealth EMS (Richmond, N.C.) and Third Place winning team was Fairfield County EMS from South Carolina.

“This year’s event is one to remember,” Kent said. “I want to thank Mr. Rivers of the CCSD SRT Team, Mrs. Grant of the Cheraw High School Health and Science class, all of our judges and participants for making this year’s event a huge success. I also appreciate and thank all of our sponsors, FirstHealth of the Carolinas, Boundtree Medical, FastERcare of Sumter, Southern Uniform and Screen printing, Danny’s Trophy Shop, Bill’s BBQ of Cheraw, LifeNet of S.C., McLeod Farms and all others that made this year’s event so special,” he added. He also gave a special praise to all of the teams who participated in this year’s event.

The teams who participated in competition were Anson County EMS (N.C.), Carolina Medcare of Sumter (SC)-two teams, Fairfield County EMS (S.C.), FirstHealth EMS Chesterfield (S.C.), FirstHealth EMS Richmond (N.C.), Lee County EMS (S.C.), Laurens County EMS (S.C.), and Sumter County EMS, also of South Carolina. LifeNet of S.C. provided the food for the event.

For more information about this year’s event, visit the Paramedic Savers Basic and Intermediate Challenge’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com.